Issues of Human Rights

Human rights

Human rights – the basic entitlements of all human beings, afforded to them simply because they are human.

• The UN Declaration of Human Rights was issued by the United Nations in 1948.

• It includes 30 articles, based on the first article that, ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’

• When articles are broken, other countries and international agencies step in to try to persuade the country to restore basic human rights.

Christian attitudes to human rights

• Humans are made in God’s image (Genesis Creation story)

• This makes humans equal but also they have a likeness to God

• All humans are special, they have worth and value and should be treated with dignity

• Human life should not be destroyed or mistreated.

• Christians believe in agape, selfless and unconditional love, following Jesus’s example.

• Jesus said, ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ and told the parable of The Good Samaritan to illustrate.

• ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek…you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ (St. Paul)

Hindu attitudes to human rights

• All Hindus have an atman (a soul) and this where Brahman is found in all human beings.

• God is in everyone, we are all children of God (Gandhi).

• Ahimsa is the principle of no harm, it should be practised towards all life.

• It is a dharma (duty) for Hindus to treat all life, people with respect

• However, the caste system shows that people are different and that they have different roles.

• Modern Hindu thinkers like Gandhi have criticised the treatment of untouchables (lowest caste) and the caste system has been outlawed in Indian law.

Personal conviction and opposing the law of the country

• Personal conviction are strong religious and/or moral beliefs and values

• sometimes a person’s beliefs and values can come into conflict with the law in their country

• Martin Luther King opposed laws on segregation between black and white people in the US

• Gandhi opposed British rule in India and fought for independence; he also opposed paying tax on Indian salt to the British rulers

Social justice and Christianity

Martin Luther King - a black American Baptist minister who fought black segregation

• He believed that a person’s colour should not affect their rights

• He was influenced by Gandhi’s non-violent approach and Jesus’s teaching on non-retaliation

• His most famous speech began ‘I have a dream…’ that everyone will be seen as equals and not be judged by the colour of their skin

• In 1955 organised a bus boycott to end segregation

• In 1957 took part in marches, boycotts and sit-ins as part of his non-violent direct action

• In 1963 protested about the poor education of black children

• He received support of the President

• He had support and enemies among the public, he faced attempts on his life

• He was assassinated in 1968 by a white man

Social justice and Hinduism

Gandhi (1869-1947) a leader of the Indian Independence Movement who used non-violent resistance (satyagraha) to gain fair treatment for Indians under British rule; he fought for the rights of outcastes, even among other Hindus who treated them unfairly

• Also known as the Great Soul or Mahatma

• He believed in satyagraha or fighting for the truth or what was right by peaceful means only

• He got Indians to stop buying British cloth which made Indian people poor and to spin their own cloth

• In 1930 he marched with the people to the ocean to make their own salt so that they would not have to pay tax on the salt to the British

• In 1947 British rule ended

• Gandhi was assassinated in 1948

• Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was a Hindu who worked to ensure members of all faiths were accepted and treated equally.

• Ambedkar (1991-1956) fought for the rights of the outcastes; he became a politician and he campaigned for equality.

Malala Yousafzai

Malala (a Muslim) wanted to create a socially just society in Pakistan; this was her personal conviction.

• She campaigned against the lack of education for girls in the Swat area in the northwest – going against Article 26 of UN Declaration.

• She argued that girls could not succeed if they were being held back by the force of the Taliban.

• The Taliban issued death threats against her and a gunman took aim for her when she was boarding a bus.

• Malala started a blog, aged 11 detailing her views and giving interviews for the media.

Key words on prejudice

• prejudice - to pre-judge an individual or group without knowledge or experience

• discrimination - to treat people unfairly

• equality – people are treated with the same value and worth

• justice - fairness, everyone has the same rights

• community - a group of people, e.g. from the same country or religion

• scapegoat - where a group is blamed for problems faced by others (e.g. unemployment, financial hardship)

• stereotype - crude idea or image which is inaccurately applied to a whole group

Causes of prejudice

• fear - people fear what they do not understand

• ignorance - when people have not been educated, have not had experience of others, so they believe the stereotypes

• upbringing - if you are brought up with racism you may be more likely to be racist as you learn this and believe it is right

• bad experience - a bad experience may affect your attitude to whole group of people

People may also face prejudice because of their age (ageism), gender (sexism), sexuality (homophobia), disability

Effects of discrimination

• emotional, depression

• feeling an outsider

• anger at the unfairness

• determined to fight for rights

Ways religions can help

• holy books and religious teachings may offer comfort

• religious leaders can listen

• communities can organise meetings to highlight problems and set up support groups

• communities can promote tolerance and harmony at youth clubs, at school assemblies and at Churches and temples

• people can pray with and for those who suffer

Censorship

• freedom of expression versus the banning offensive materials (cartoons, articles, books, plays, films and even pop videos)

• could prevent religious discrimination, e.g. Islamophobia (against Muslims), anti-semitism (against Jews), offending Christians

• some argue that people should be able to express their views

• some argue that people should not be able to incite violence when expressing hateful views

• some have argued that publications should not include material that is offensive to religious groups

• religious people might support measures that stop violence or people being offended

• some religious people might feel that bans might stop people’s freedom of expression,

• free will and being free is important in both faiths

Extremism

• Believing in or supporting ideas very far from what most people consider reasonable.

• Extremists may feel justified in acting in certain extreme ways to uphold the belief or make others believe it too.

• They may interpret scriptures differently.

• They may believe they will be rewarded in the afterlife for their actions.

• They may have been influenced by others

• The beliefs and practices of extremists come into conflict with the ideas of justice, equality and human rights.

Wealth and Poverty

Facts

• 1 in 8 in the world do not have enough to eat

• millions die everyday because they have no access to clean water

• only 1 child in 4 has access to education in developing countries

• 3/4s of people in developing countries have only limited access to medicine

absolute poverty – having nothing, including the basic needs, like water

relative poverty - having less than the majority of others in your country

Basic needs (identified by the UN and World Health Organisation)

Food, water, education, shelter, health, employment

Christianity and Wealth

• There is nothing wrong with wealth, just people’s attitudes to it

• ‘The love of money is the root of all evil.’ (New Testament in the Bible)

• ‘No one can serve two masters…You cannot serve both God and money.’ (Jesus)

• It is acceptable to earn a good living for a hard day’s work - this is called the Protestant Work Ethic

Christianity and helping the Poor

• If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need, how can he love God? (New Testament)

• Jesus said, ‘love your neighbour’

• In Jesus’s parable ‘The Rich Man and Lazarus’, the rich man goes to Hell for ignoring poor beggar Lazarus at his gate, Lazarus is sent to Heaven; as he had a difficult life, Lazarus is rewarded in the afterlife

• ‘Treat others as you wish to be treated,’ is the Golden Rule for Christians

Hinduism and Wealth

• the creation of wealth (artha) is an aim of life in Hinduism, it is to provide for your family and for the maintenance of society (you are expected to help others once you have taken care of your family)

• money causes pain (both keeping it and losing it), (Pancatantra text): people should not get too attached to money

• The Hinduja Foundation: The Hinduja family are the wealthiest Hindu family in Britain and are noted for their generosity: they contributed millions of pounds to the Spirit Zone of the Millenium Dome and to the Neasden Temple in London

Hinduism and helping the poor

• good deeds help others but can also bring the person who does them good karma and a good reincarnation

• Hindus follow the principles of daya (compassion) and dana (charity)

• ‘Give a man a fish and he can feed himself for a day; teach him how to use a fishing rod and he can feed himself forever.’ (Gandhi)

Types of aid

• Short-term aid – aid which responds to a disaster or crisis like a flood or an earthquake

• Long-term aid – aid which is long lasting and designed to continue without total external support, e.g. building a medical centre; helping people to help themselves

Christian Aid

• Christian Aid is a charity that aims to stop poverty and challenge systems which favour the rich over the poor.

• It educates people about the causes of poverty, runs campaigns and fairtrade activities.

• It works on the basis of the Christian belief that God loves all.

• It believes in stewardship that is fair management of resources.

• It believes that humans should be treated with dignity and respect and that there should be justice and equality.

• It is involved in many long-term projects and believes in helping people to help themselves

Food For Life (Hindu)

• The Hare Krishna Movement’s Food for Life project is the world's largest vegetarian non-profit food relief organization.

• Volunteers provide up to 2,000,000 free meals daily.

• It reaches out to all in need, including; the homeless, disadvantaged children throughout India; and victims of natural disasters around the world.

• The Food for Life project is a modern-day revival of the ancient Hindu culture of hospitality with its belief in the equality of all beings.